Hawai'i to Halifax: A Musical Tribute to J. Chalmers Doane

Music educator J. Chalmers Doane, “the father of the Canadian ‘ukulele” whose innovative teaching model shaped classroom instruction as far away as Hawai’i, will be inducted into the ‘Ukulele Hall of Fame in Hawai’i on Sunday, October 25th, 1:00-3:00 pm, in a special ceremony at The Carleton in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We are thrilled to offer a limited number of public (standing) tickets at $20 plus HST to friends and admirers who want to help celebrate Chalmers’ induction as the first Canadian member of the ‘Ukulele Hall of Fame in Hawai’i! If you require seating for accessibility reasons, please contact reservations@thecarleton.ca after purchasing. Light canapes will be served starting at 1:00 PM when doors open. “Tens of thousands of students in Canada and the United States have acquired a lifelong love of music as a direct result of Doane’s pioneering vision of the ‘ukulele as an affordable, effective teaching tool,” said Paul Syphers, president of the Ukulele Hall of Fame. “We are delighted to give him the kind of recognition he so richly deserves.” J. Chalmers Doane, a Truro native, began playing the ‘ukulele at the age of four, but quickly embraced the role of multi-instrumentalist. He graduated as a trombone major and string education specialist from Boston University and later published his own piano method. When he was hired as superintendent of music for Halifax schools in 1967, however, what captured his imagination was the ‘ukulele—“a fantastic instrument miles ahead of anything else in terms of music education.” His philosophy: “Music is for everyone, and music is fun!” Over the next 16 years, Doane turned Halifax into what the Toronto Globe and Mail called “one of the most progressive and captivating programs of music education among all the public school systems of North America.” Now retired, but still teaching and playing, Doane has received many honors for his work, most notably being named to the Order of Canada and the Order of Nova Scotia.